


and I will always think I'm right

by denisiya



Series: Thomassss xmas [3]
Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Presents, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Thomas Barrow Xmas 2020, my bois
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:00:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28214385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/denisiya/pseuds/denisiya
Summary: It's strange that people can fight over such silly things.
Relationships: Thomas Barrow/Richard Ellis
Series: Thomassss xmas [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2041605
Comments: 4
Kudos: 29
Collections: A Very Thomas Barrow Christmas 2020





	and I will always think I'm right

**Author's Note:**

> 18\. Star - Character A always has a star on their tree, character B wants an angel. Who wins?  
> The plot is usual for DA: everyone thinks that Thomas is being a bitch when he's actually the sweetest person alive.  
> 1\. non-native speaker  
> 2\. enjoy :*

“Jesus, you can ask just anyone.”

“And what?”

“And they’ll tell you that it’s always a star on the tree.”

The first Christmas together, only half of the year in their little flat. They don’t even have all needed furniture and dishes yet, but they wanted to make that one time special so the Christmas tree is necessary. The only problem now is to decide whose decoration is going to be on top of it.

The thing is, that Richard has always had an angel and he even brought one from his mother’s house, but Thomas is determined that it has to be a star.

“But why don’t you try?” he asks.

“Why don’t  _ you  _ try?” Thomas teases. He can be cruel if he wants to. 

***

After almost fifteen minutes of arguing over such a silly thing, Richard gives up, takes the angel and goes to the bedroom. He falls on the bed and stares at the ceiling thinking: "It's not like he has been having Christmas that he wanted for last twenty years, he deserves to spend this one with a bloody star."

But why can't Thomas understand that this angel is important to Richard? It's their family tradition and, well, Thomas  _ has to  _ respect it. 

This behaviour concerns him. 

What can he possibly have against angels? Who can possibly have anything against ceramic angels?

Especially this one. The tiny girl with golden hair, white dress, blue sleeves. Yes, it's scratched, one wing is half-broken and the paint is not so bright anymore, but no wonder, this thing is probably as old as Richard. And it's charming.

It's such a stupid argument but feels heavy in his chest. Some things mean more than you may think.

How the hell are they supposed to meet Christmas tomorrow, if Richard is so disappointed? "What if you're just dramatic, Ellis, huh?" he thinks. Maybe.

***

He’s laying on the bed for quite a while, trying to calm down and figure out how to talk to Thomas this evening.

His thoughts are interrupted by a quiet cough behind the door.

"Can I come in?" Thomas says. 

That's it, he still doesn't know if he should act like everything is fine or show him that he's offended. Well, he needs to let the man in the room now, anyway.

"Yes." He sits upright and rubs his eyes because he almost fell asleep before. He deliberately lets the angel stay in the centre of the bed.

Thomas opens the door, staying there for a moment, looking Richard in the eyes.

"You wanted something?"

"I'm sorry," Thomas mumbles. "I was wrong."

"You were?" It's his turn to tease. "I just don't understand why you don't like my suggestion that much. I'd understand if you explained it to me, I don't know, maybe, angels are your childhood's nightmare-"

"God, I'm not a kid anymore," he says and wrinkles his nose.

"Okay, maybe your parents adored angels and now it's a bad memory?"

He should've thought better. Thomas doesn't answer.

"Sorry," he blurts out, stands up and reaches Thomas. He pats his shoulder and tries to get any reaction out of him. "I'm sorry, I only meant to say that I wanted to know the re-"

"So that's what you think," Thomas says as if not hearing Richard.

"Oh?"

Thomas, still not showing any signs of seeing Richard, comes to the bed and slowly sits on it.

"Family. You tried to hurt my feelings using family beca-"

"Wait, I did  _ not  _ try that, I'm really sorry," Richard corrects him.

"Okay, just listen!" he exclaims and finally looks at Richard. "You think that I don't give enough credit to your family by refusing your angel. Because it means a lot to you."

"Thomas, I know that you love them and  _ me,  _ but it  _ is _ actually what I feel right now. And it won't change unless you tell me why you won't accept my wish."

"I'll tell you," he sighs.

Surprise.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Thomas says and taps the spot next to him on the bed, "come here."

Richard obeys silently and watches Thomas leaning to his bedside table, opening it and taking something. When he's back, he places the small wooden box near Richard's thigh.

"What is this?" he asks.

"Merry Christmas," Thomas says warmly.

"Uhm,"  _ well, that's not what he expected.  _ "But it's tomorrow."

"Yeah, but I guess I should do it now," he sighs, now smiling. The smile is little, it's just one raised corner of his mouth and a few wrinkles around his eyes (they are almost always there now, but Richard can easily tell which wrinkle means a good mood), so it's enough. Thomas leans and kisses Richard on the cheek, resting his head on his shoulder and his hand on his chest. It's… rather difficult to unwrap gifts in this position, but he will never complain about gentle touches of his partner. "Open it," he says, the man's breath is on Richard’s neck. The mood changes faster than women's rights.

He takes the box and places it on his knee, carefully opening the lock on it, turning little metallic details. 

What he sees makes him stop breathing for a moment.

He takes it in his hand, raises and looks at it under the lamp's light: white shining wings, soft and thin cloth as a skirt. Golden hair, white dress and blue sleeves. 

It's almost the same as Richard's angel.

"It's… Just like- I mean, how did you…?" he tries. "I've never told you about this angel before."

"I have connections," Thomas says and grins as he pulls off of Richard and sits upright again. Richard thinks.

"My mom, you mean?" he asks.

"Yes."

"I can't believe she told you that I'm that silly that I need a toy-angel every Christmas."

"You're not silly, Richard," Thomas whispers and leans in again just to place a quick peck on his cheek again.

"So you were mad because…?"

"Because you made my present look egoistic, yeah."

"Egoistic?"

"As if I'm making you forget about this  _ old _ friend," Thomas says pointing at the old angel, and then points at the new one, "to have this  _ new  _ friend."

Huh.

"I love it," Richard smiles, "thank you."

"Truly? I know that the angel was always your favourite part of Christmas."

"Jesus, mom told you everything, didn't she? No wonder she was grumpy when I took that angel."

They laugh softly, then just sit stroking each other's forearms.

"I love your family," Thomas finally mumbles, "I only wanted to make a new start with a great memory to the past. Put it on top of the tree together on Christmas night."

Because they start a new life, don't they.

"We'll do it, then. We'll do it together."

**Author's Note:**

> <3


End file.
